Rebirth
by Just a Fate fan
Summary: In matters involving events that shape reality, the cause of changes may be blurred, but the results are very apparent. When one participant from the Fifth Holy Grail War is replaced, the changes don't only redirect the events, but also shape into a new end. It's specially intriguing, when said replacement is a very observant professor and his King of Knights of a student...
1. Prologue

**A/N: Welcome friends, for my second attempt at publishing an idea. How this process happened? Well, I had some story ideas. Then others. However, I didn't feel satisfied until I stumbled into this. I mean, Waver as a participant of the Fifth Holy Grail War has probably been published before, but I wanted to make some of my objectives clear while developing this story:**  
**1\. This is going to be a story focused in Gray as Saber, a reincarnation of King Arthur and a Demi-Servant. She will struggle through the story to find the power to fulfill her ideals in a context where she isn't burdened by her crown (by the context she is inserted, not her conscience).**  
**2\. She will have all of her powers, and she won't problems supplying herself with prana, because of her reincarnated magic core.  
****3\. Some things at the start will be similar to the novel, like every other route, but will change into something completely different as we keep going.  
****4\. As Waver will summon a different servant, some of them will be different from the original cast of characters (minority)**

**Well, I hope that helps with some questions. If you have others, ask away.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fate, or any Nasuverse content. Those rights are exclusive to Type-Moon.  
**

Many years had passed. A war had been fought. Not one of conquests or might. It was simply of death and destruction. People had fallen to the ground. All of them, her followers. They had fallen because of betrayal. A betrayal that was caused by her…

No. It was not time for self-pity. Things had happened. Her life was at an end, and she just wanted some rest... Maybe it was time for her to respite.

"I think… I will… sleep much longer… this… time…" She says in farewell. Her knight had waited until the very end for her to fade away. He looked sad. She wanted to say that he shouldn't. However, she felt her consciousness wouldn't last for her to say anything.

'_Farewell, Bedivere…'_

And the king was no more.

_**FATE**_

Many years had passed. Britain had been torn asunder and completely overrun by barbaric tribes, flourishing the Anglo-Saxon regimes. However, people did not forget the actions of a knight-king, who brought an age of peace for a crumbling nation, that would fall no matter what anyone did. Even if the people did betray Arthur in the end, they would still remember gratefully for the one that had risen to fight for them, when all hope was lost…

However, the king didn't die. He lived on, in another vessel. A vessel that existed almost fifteen hundred years later. The child born in a village that wished to have their king reborn. The figure known as king Arthur was not accessible in the Throne of Heroes, even if he did exist there. However, the time axis did not permit it. Until his death, the Heroic Spirit known as Arthur Pendragon is just a dream… but not really.

_**FATE**_

Waver Velvet was NOT loitering in his office. Even if he had spent all day working, he still needed to send some reports to the people responsible for Spiritual Summoning Department. He still had his kings relic, but… he didn't know if he should do such a thing. He would feel like a hypocrite in front of his pupil. Even so, he couldn't feel selfish. He needed his best gun, and that gun was his servant from the previous war. He wouldn't make a fool of himself this time. Not after making Atrum Galliasta withdraw the war (with no short amounts of insults thrown his way.)

He didn't take that decision lightly. If it wasn't for Gray convincing him to enter, he would remain indecisive of it. However, she convinced him to go. And she would go with him. Of course, he couldn't turn her down. First, that he was unable until this day to win an argument, and second, because he wouldn't count himself so lucky as to escape from this alive with his meek magical talent.

He just wrote that he had an artifact. Slumping himself on his couch, he lit a cigar and started smoking. He wasn't much of smoking indoors, but he needed something to relax. It's been 10 years, and could still feel the same nervousness that his younger self felt. Of course, he was now past that stage of his life, thinking of himself as talented as any other magus could be, even if not having any magic heritage at all. Wiser. Greatly aware of who he is, but still having pride over his achievements. A low ranking mage, now, a Lord of the Clock Tower. He earned that because of his extreme intelligence. And that is enough for him. His deductive skills, greater than those of others, was his weapon to reach this post. He didn't need more than that.

He could hear the creak of his office door open, and the steps that accompanied them. Straightening himself up on his chair, he looks at the visitor, expecting his pupil.

And he was right. Gray. She wore her favorite gray hood, with a black furred cape. She also used her normal uniform. Her green eyes seemed to glitter, and he could see the golden locks from inside her hood. She was… a complete image of King Arthur from the Fourth Holy Grail War. Both in personality and in appearance. That is why she wears a hood. He didn't feel too well when he sees her face. He requested it, but he didn't begrudge the girl for her appearance.

Because… even if she tried to hide it, she is King Arthur reborn.

"Teacher. Good Evening." She says with her normally formal behaviour.

"Gray." He says it neutrally. Not that he wasn't fond of the girl in a way. He just talks like that all the time.

"The preparations are complete. Unless we are waiting for an item requisition, we have permission to leave tomorrow morning for Japan." She explains.

"I see… then prepare your things. We will leave tomorrow morning. We already have what we need." He says.

"Yes, teacher." She responds in respect.

After that, she leaves, and Waver leans against his chair again.

"And here we go again..."

_**FATE**_

It was a strange feeling once. One day you die, and the next, you feel like you woke up from a dream. That was the sensation Artoria Pendragon felt, but in some different ways.

She wasn't born as a kind of super-human mentality. As a newborn, she had the same awareness as a child of her age. Growing up, memories of her past started coming back. And that, she came to understand, was because of a strange kind of mystical experiment, that the village she was born in was doing. A human vessel to revive the spirit of King Arthur. As her spirit was time of the time axis, she was probably captured by the ritual, even if her spirit was not stored inside the Throne of Heroes. Records of her probably existed there, but not her true soul.

As she grew, and her memories started to come back, she couldn't help but feel very intimidated by the idea of a new life. She was even something that she once felt like she wouldn't be one day: a magus. And one with a dragon core. Her talent surpassed those of normal magi by a hundred-fold. Of course, her personal tastes still made her prefer melee combat over spellcasting, so it didn't make much of a difference from before. She still uses Prana Burst as her main weapon, but she controls it better and has better uses of it.

However, the concept itself was astounding to her. Even if the concept of reincarnation was existent, and that simply biding the soul of one into the body of the newborn, without changing the characteristics of the life before, does sound simplistic, the idea that they could simply bring her back to life was in itself, something stupendous. It was basically in the realm of resurrection. It boggled her mind why her teacher didn't want to know more of it.

… Or maybe, he thought it was better not to meddle with things on that level. Which, she felt somewhat grateful. Some things should not be attempted. And that is one of them. Or maybe, he didn't want to deal with the fact that she is King Arthur reborn.

Because… Waver Velvet was a participant of the Fourth Holy Grail War. Bringing forth his Servant of the Rider Class, Alexander the Great, he fought in the Ritual for the chance for a wish.

After a tenuous battle, his servant was ultimately destroyed, and he was disqualified from the ritual. The battle left a lasting impression on his mentality, as did the trauma behind it. He absolutely didn't want to see her face. Most people would probably feel offended by that, but her level of self-loath at the time didn't really make her think much of it. She felt like a failure. So ashamed by her mistakes in life that she just wanted to hide her face from the world.

Right now, she did that as habit. She didn't have much problem doing so for her teacher. She didn't loathe herself anymore. Because of two things.

"Gray. Are you feeling well? You dozed off for a bit." Waver asked, his face seemed mildly worried.

They had already left the inside of the Airport and were embarking on an airplane that was going to Japan. After she left the airport bus, she started thinking over things a little, as her nervousness for the battle was rising. She had fought various times over the course of her new life, but heroic spirits are on their own level of power.

"I am well, teacher. I was just thinking over some things before our depart." She said.

"... I see. Well, would you mind telling me what was that which you were musing over?" the Lord asked. He was more than used to her formal speech.

"Your games, of course! I never saw you doing any other things that made you so joyful as playing video-games, teacher. Imagine staying two weeks without them!" She seemed very serious about it.

Waver looked at her, one eye twitching. He did appreciate her care, but she didn't have to say those kind of things. It was embarrassing.

"Don't bother about that. Even better, don't mention that…" he says, a little red to his face.

"As you wish." She says, neutrally. However, her lips suggested differently, a small smirk to her features. She likes to tease Waver. His bad temper and cursing is something of great notice by the people of the Clock Tower, especially his students.

However, he wasn't harsh to her. He did get a bit angry, but he normally said to her dismiss some ideas without scolding her. Of course, he didn't need to, since she is practically a model student. However, they were as close as family. Gray didn't tease him too much, not like Reines. She did that to get away from some discussions. Specially regarding her first life as King Arthur. She was sure that he knew that the ritual was a success. That solidified to her his reason for not wanting to look at her face. The experience was probably dramatic. The strange thing is that she can't really remember the war. If her soul is within her body right now, how was she summoned as a Heroic Spirit…? That is something that she probably won't receive an answer for some time. She would need to research that, but she doesn't have the resources. And she doesn't want to bother her teacher with it.

"Hey! Sister! We're gonna wreck the shit out of some Heroes! Light it up a bit, will ya?!"

And there it was. Within her cape, was a little birdcage. There a cubic figure was yelling at her in a very severe way. Different from her teacher, he had a very strange sense of humor… well, not that strange. He had her brother's personality modeled into it. That was something very disturbing to her at first. But, she had time to get accustomed to it.

"Quiet, Add." She said, shaking the cage.

"H-hey! What the hell! Stop that!" He yelled in outrage.

She took the small cage a little bit out of her cape, enough for Add to see her glare. He gulped and begrudgingly silencing himself. Just like Kay, it knew how a frosty Artoria was like.

Despite the exchange, Add treated her as his sister. He wasn't the true Kay, but because of the way he treated her, she was able to heal. And even though he looked harsh sometimes, he was actually fond of her. There were times that they talked to each other when anyone wasn't watching. Like the family that once was…

Waver looked at the exchange as if it was something that happened every day. Add's excitement was mostly to cheer Gray up. She wasn't much of one that liked to fight, of course, when one breaks out, she is the first to jump into the fray. She likes to avoid it, though. She only offered to go to the Holy Grail War because she knew that he wanted to go, and because if he won, he could pay his debt to the Archibalds.

The girl, however, was very competitive. Cheering her up to a wain is a very good way to motivate her. Not that she thought herself strong enough to beat Heroic Spirits. She knew that doing so is very stupid. That's why she won't even consider doing something so reckless without a reason. He hoped that she wouldn't have one…

_**FATE**_

After the trip, they took a car to Fuyuki. When Saber saw the place, she couldn't help but find it endearing, in a way. It was a small city, with two contrasting sides separated by a river. One district was a place where several houses were found, resembling a residential area. Both eastern and western houses littered the place.

To the other side of the river, was what it looked like a city district. Tall buildings showed a more modernized center, probably with various shops and places that made both the workplace for some and recreation areas for others.

"Well, here Iam. Back to this shithole of a city…" Waver said, scowling at the place.

Looking at the window of the car, and then back at him, she couldn't help but feel a bit exasperated by the way he described the city. He didn't like it at all.

"Teacher, it's a nice town. You really don't like it?"

He only says a "tch" and closes his eyes in irritation.

"This place only gives problems. And I hate Japan!" He says.

Gray sighs, looking back at the window. They were going through the Shinto district, the modernized one. People were walking around. Teenagers seemed to go somewhere to pass sometime, as it was a weekend. Salaryman were walking around with their suitcases, busy as their attires shown.

She heard about his opinion of the country before. To him, the people here are hypocrites, for some reason that he won't share. Even though she believes that he only doesn't like the place because of the War. Probably too harsh of him, but knowing her teacher, she thought it was fitting.

Despite passing through Shinto, they wouldn't stay there. Different from his predecessor, Waver wouldn't be an idiot and stay in a hotel, where he could be shot by a servant, or bombed away like he did in the last war.

"Master, are we going to establish our own base?" Gray asks.

"We may do that. However, we will contact the person that may ally with us in the war. She is representing the Association, as we are. It's her home base, though. Don't lower your guard at any instant." He says, looking at her with a serious expression.

"Understood." She says.

_**FATE**_

When the taxi left, they knew instantly that something was wrong. They were met with a two story building that was to be a magus' worksop. But… they didn't feel any bounded field. Not even a simple one to hide the signal of magecraft, being used. It was twilight by now, and no lights were on. Literally, no sign of life inside.

"Gray. Take the lead." Waver orders.

In that moment, something manifests in Gray's hand. It's not visible, for some reason. She takes whatever it is in both her hands, like a weapon. Add, As a sword is her preferred tool, she keeps it in that form.

She goes first, opening the door, steadily… and the smell enters their noses. The pungent odor of death, of rot.

"... damn it." Waver says.

Both enter and walk inside, and right at the door, they see it.

The rotting body of Bazett Fraga McRemitz.

Waver goes to the side of Gray, covering his mouth.

"... She's been dead for a while." Gray says, noting her missing arm. Someone took the arm with the command seals.

"So this is how it's going to be. The war hasn't even started and someone jumped her as she entered the door, taking her command seals with them. God, what this game makes people do…" Waver laments.

"... not much different from mages do in the Clock Tower." Gray adds.

"... Yeah. Gray, clean the place up and try to find traps, or spiritual interference. Any sign that something in her workshop is going to kill us, do that first." He orders.

"Roger." She goes inside to start her reconnaissance and sweeping.

Waver looks at the Enforcer's body with a grim expression. Someone killed Bazzet while she had her guard down. She was one of the best fighters in the Clock Tower. Taking her by surprise is not an easy task. Which means…

… someone backstabbed her. And she probably had a servant with her. If that was the case, it puts credit to the idea that it was someone that she trusted enough, to keep her servant at bay.

"What a mess..."

_**FATE**_

After almost an hour of looking for traps, wrapping Bazett's body up for her family to extract her crest and artifact, and contacting the Association to inform them of her death, Waver descended into the basement. He sent Gray to scout the outskirts, for any sign of enemies, or clues regarding the murderer.

The place was dark, and cobblestones littered the place, making it seem more like a tomb than a basement.

"Perfect."

Putting a suitcase atop a stone table, he opens it with care. It reveals a ragged red cloth. He touches it's surface and then takes it with a hand.

"Soon, I will work with you again, as your vassal." He says, seeming a little joyful.

He hears a ring inside his pocket. He picks it up.

"Teacher, the area around the mansion is secured." Gray's voice came from the other side.

"Good. Come back here. We still have some business to take care of..."

_**FATE**_

After they took some care to establish themselves inside their own rooms, they went to the basement. Waver had already prepped a magic seal on the ground.

Gray had read about them: summoning circles. They were conduits to the manifestation of a servant. If the circle has a connection with the leyline of the Grail, it can manifest a servant. The energy for the summoning comes from the system, but the caster is bound to the spirit, gaining seals and having their magical energy drained to keep the servant anchored to the world.

She sees a red rag being placed in the center of the circle by her master.

"The preparations are complete. Everything is set. Time is right. Only some minutes for my magical energy to reach its peak…" He starts saying.

Gray looks as the circle starts to light up. The prana being used for the ritual coalescing into one focal point. The body of the servant was about to form.

Her teacher started to chant, and she couldn't help but feel how this was the start of a marking point. Soon a war would start and she would see the might of powerful existences clashing. She would aid her teacher, as she one day vowed. For saving her from the nightmare of ruling, once again. For saving her from her Fate…

_**FATE**_


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: Nasuverse is property of Type-Moon. I do not profit from this story and I will refuse any offer of money, as I will not request any of it.**

_**FATE**_

Ten years.

It took ten years for the grail to manifest itself again. When the Einzbern had announced that the Grail would be reawakened in 2004, they were shocked. Soon, the truth about the ritual's failed results were known. It wouldn't take sixty years to recharge, as it normally needs.

Back then, a numbing feeling had gone to Waver's heart. 'What if I could meet him again…' the thought kept repeating in his mind for some time. When the chance was given to him, he was inclined to refuse. However, here he is. Fighting in this war again. Atop one of the buildings in Shinto, he overlooked the city of Fuyuki.

A lot of things have changed. The fire at the end of the war had really made a number to the city. Hundreds dead. The land scarred. This part of the city had been born from the appeal of reconstruction from the people that had lived after. It felt strange to him. He finds it appealing, the idea of humans reconstructing after the mourning had passed. New desires, a future for those that had still to come. However, the idea that this place was like a palace built over a cemetery for this same future, disgusted him.

Actually, the idea of the Grail War itself disgusted him. People fighting so that they can find a cup to cover their weaknesses and do a miracle, instead of trying to reach their dreams by themselves. Like he did in 1994.

He had dreams of dismantling this whole system. The world would be better without it. However, the decision wasn't his to make, so it was a moot point

Even so, it had its joys.

He walks to the edge of the building, and jumps. At least four meters below, he lands inside the bounds of a chariot, as it sped through the skies of the city. Beside him, was his king, his cape billowing in the wind, as his massive body commanded the bulls of Zeus soaring attop the buildings of Fuyuki.

"Liked the view, boy?" Rider looks at him, his signature eager grin to his face.

"Not really fond of the place, but it was good enough." Waver responds, a rare smile to his face.

"Gahahaha! Finally learning enjoy things. I thought that time would change things a bit, and I was right! Like your height!" Iskandar bellows.

Waver couldn't help but blush a bit, indignantly.

He would answer that, but was interrupted by the sound of his radio-phone going on, in his ear.

"Teacher." He hears Gray's voice from the other side of the static-filled connection.

"Gray" He answers the call.

"It is as you said. The investigation you made yesterday around the city yesterday was sound. There is indeed a bounded field in the school. I am going to investigate further."

"Be careful, Gray. Keep a low profile. I intend to have Rider staying outside of servant detecting range. If you need our help, just contact."

"Understood." The line closes.

"So, the young girl found something?" Rider asks him, but keeping attention to the bulls.

"Indeed. Move there, but try keeping some distance, Rider. Leave investigation to her. If a servant comes though… jump him."

"That sounds like fun. Ha!" Rider lashes the bridle. The bulls roar in lightning, as they move faster at Miyama District.

_**FATE**_

The corridors were dark enough to make the regular person feel like a chill ran up their spine. However, she was neither a normal person, nor she had any problem with the oppressive power that she felt building up inside the place.

The previous day, Waver had made a sweep around the city with Rider. Staying up at night was added to her routine some time ago. Apparently, only one servant was left to be brought to the table.

Saber, the servant of the sword.

Apparently, those were chivalrous types. According to her teacher, she was summoned from the last war as the servant from that class.

… which made the claim very much strange to her made.

For some reason, she can't remember having been summoned. She knows that her spirit wasn't taken to the afterlife of Heroic Spirits. At least, she thinks that she would be aware of her condition, as Rider did.

It's so frustrating that, after some time debating on that, she would settle with the idea that it was some kind of future self that had gone to the Throne after the cycle of reincarnation had been completed. At least, that is the conclusion she drawn, since her professor refuses to give details of her spiritual persona from the Fourth War. Rather, he refuses to talk much of the War as a whole.

Going inside the Teacher's Room, she could feel it. The power of a magical seal. Raising her arm and speaking some words in gaelean. Soon, runes manifested along with a great seal.

"... this is probably not the work of a magician from this era." She inspects the seals. Definitely something an ancient mystery. Doesn't even look like magecraft in some ways…

She then uses her sword. Prana flows through the construct. The tip touches the blackboard and the marks start to fade. The problem is, that the person that made this, could probably restore the foundation of the Craft. Anyway, she would delay this as much as she could. After all, it was really apparent the purpose of the field. If the uneasiness is enough to give a hint, it was to syphon energy from the living creatures inside the field, to the Caster.

Just the thought made her blood boil. Of course a master would use its servant to get more power. Using those that had no power to defend themselves, is something normal in her moonlit world. But, to think that they would take some risks like these… no, she wouldn't use that as an excuse.

She really hates those that use underhanded means, such as killing others to fight their own battles. Cowardice. Corruption to one's mind. Power robbed from others to add for personal strength.

She sighs. Thinking of her ideals as a king in a life of a magus is something difficult. She has to see various obnoxious and cruel people hiding all of their crimes against the uninvolved. Foxes betraying each other for easier prey. The only rule is not to expose the magic world. The rest, only regards laws of the Association and the moonlit world. None of them have ethical principles. A knight and a king dealing with a world like that is something completely-

She shakes her head. She has to focus on the war.

Some time later, she sees herself going out of the building. She could faintly sense the power of the sigils, if not that much. Tracking was never her specialty. She could feel it better when she was closer, but she doesn't doubt that she passed through some of them without noting their existence. Even so…

She entered another building. Seemed like a training ground. Waling inside, she found a range, with targets pinned across a grassy area. They probably trained archery here.

"Someone there?".

In an instant, she was with a hand to her bird cage and readied herself for whoever was there at night.

However, when she looked, she just saw a young man, a little startled with her sudden movement. He had his hands up to his chest, his palms signalizing peace.

"Whoa there…" the teenager says. A redhead.

"A student." She says, returning to a more neutral position. She doesn't feel hostility from him.

"Yeah…" He seems to relax too.

"What are you doing here this late at night?" Gray asks, her expression stern as always.

The boy raises a brow.

"I could ask you the same. Are you a foreigner? You seem to be uniformized, but doesn't look like the one from our school."

At that comment, she frowns a bit. Being this late night could put the boy as the one who raised the field, but that doesn't feel likely.

"Look… I just realized that I stayed here too long, so I'm going home. Whoever you are, I can't really judge you for staying here until this time, since I did the same, but don't you think that people will get suspicious from you being around here?" the boy says, his hand to scratching the back of his head.

Ah… ignorance is bliss, isn't it? She could probably say that the right spell could make people forget her existence, but she doesn't say anything. The fact that he doesn't even ask her of her motives, is probably because he doesn't want trouble of someone reporting him? Maybe he is shy?

She tilts her head and looks behind him. There was a piece of cloth and a wooden bucket. A hard worker it seems…

The boy looks at the same direction than her and blushes.

Gray takes note of that.

"Someone put you up to this?"

The redhead looks at her.

"They just asked me. Since we are friends, I thought that I could help him with his work…" He says, not really ashamed of that.

She raises a brow. Is it possible that he only blushed for ending the job so late? Now that is selfless…

CLANG!

They hear a loud noise suddenly. Seemed like… two pieces of metal clashing. Then they hear it again. And again. So many times that they lost count. That in the span of a few seconds.

Hearing that, the boy starts going outside.

"What the heck…"

"Hey! Where are you going?" She turns to him. The sound of weapons clashing must mean just one thing…

The Holy Grail war just started.

"Taking a look outside."

"Wait! that's dangerous!" the king runs in front of him, blocking the way.

He stops and looks at her confused.

"What do you mean?"

"Look… you shouldn't be here. Just… go to sleep, ok?" she raises a hand and was starting to charge her prana to use a suggestion spell, but the boy's eyes suddenly wide and he grabs her wrist. This made Gray scowl, her spell interrupted.

"You… you are a magician?" the boy asks, grimacing.

She now is even more wary of him. He doesn't look like a master. He doesn't look like a great sorcerer as well, if he doesn't know of the sigils. Maybe he was hiding it from her? No, if he knew, he would have sensed the prana from her sword. But he obviously knows of magic, if he could see that she was casting a spell.

Just who is this boy?

"... I see. Than you know of the moonlit world?" she isn't soft with her wording.

"... well, kinda. I'm pretty much a novice. I only knew one other mage before, and he was my father." the boy doesn't look like he's lying.

Freeing her wrist, she puts her arms behind the cape. The impact from metal outside had stopped for a few seconds, only to restart even more frequently. The boy looks at the door beyond her. That worries her. He is agitated now.

"Look, sorry if you don't want me to getting myself involved, but if something is happening outside, I really need to see it. Someone might get hurt!" He starts advancing so suddenly, that he pushes her aside. Her eyes widen. He is going to get himself killed!

She was going to try and convince him not to go gain, but she feels it. A large amount of power was starting to gather outside. A strong attack.

Before he reaches the door she is on top of him. Locking his arm to his back, the boy's chest impacts the ground. She puts a hand to his mouth. The noise was louder than she intended it to be. Not helping that the boy was now squirming.

"Who's there?!" She hears a male voice shouting outside.

'Damn it…' She curses internally.

The boy seems to freeze with the voice.

Some sounds occur outside. She also hears a female voice.

"Stay quiet. If you do something abrupt. We'll both die…" she whispers gravely.

Some time passes, and things turn quieter outside.

The servant signatures don't fade thought. She hears weapons outside clash again. The one that reacted first, probably couldn't discern where the sound came fast enough for another servant to engage in combat again. This seemed like a good timing.

"Come. We'll use the renewed battle to move outside of here." She liberates him from her hold. She starts moving to the center of the range, intending to escape outside jumping the wall.

He stands up, going after her when he notices that the sound of battle was closer.

"W-wait up! You're just going to leave?" He asks, not elevating his voice much.

"Yes. Servants are out of my league. I need to regroup with my teacher." The girl jumps to the grassy part that separated the range from the shooting area.

She then feels something.

"Look out!" She jumps at him again, and they both go to the ground. The door explodes a second later, sending shards of wood flying through the training field. She looks up and sees a man holding a spear. This must be Lancer…

"So, it wasn't just my imagination. Sorry to say this, but make this easier for me. I really hate killing bystanders…

Gray puts a fierce face. The blonde knows. She won't be able to defeat this foe. Even with her power and skill, a servant is an immortalized spirit below only to a divine spirit.

Standing up, Gray summons her exquisite sword. She wasn't going to let the boy get killed. Even if he knows about magic, he doesn't look like a threat. Basically, a somewhat aware innocent.

The boy also stands up. He looks at the servant, his eyes wide. In that instant he knew. 'That man is dangerous'.

"What…? you want a fight?" Lancer, wearing blue cloth and metal pauldrons, had blue hair and red-fierce eyes. The eyes of a brawler. His neutral face seemed somewhat amused with the girl.

The servant's face hardens, and he turns his back to them, defending the sudden hail of projectiles that came at his direction. His parrys were impeccable…

Seeing this as her chance, she grabs the boy's wrist and runs, the servants starting the fight once more. She looks back only to see the red cape bellowing, as a dual-wielding servant fights against Lancer with swords. A Saber…?

She stops wondering, grabbing the boy by his abdomen and jumping. She is fast and strong enough to move while carrying a person. Her prana makes her three times stronger and faster than the average magus with reinforcement. A feat from her prana burst. Even if the boy knows reinforcement, she was still faster than him. Jumping the

wall from the dojo and then the one from the school, she ends up in the pavement road.

_**FATE**_

After landing, she let the boy go. He skids to a halt. His torso drops and he leans his hands to his knees, panting with the sudden shock. Facing the amount of killing intent directed his way, was something that he probably felt before, especially from creatures that he couldn't even keep up the movements.

"W-what the hell was that?!" the redhead is still panting in shock.

"... those were servants." She decides to elaborate after he raises a puzzled expression at him. "They are spirits of powerful heroes given form. Essentially, very powerful familiars."

"An-and what were they doing at school?" He stands up, still having a hard time keeping his pulse, but regaining his composure.

"There is… a war going on in this city. Your father never told you about that?" Gray looks at him neutrally. Better to ask how much he knows while she has a chance.

"... no. My father died five years ago. I was barely eleven years old." He looks seriously at her, but she could detect the sorrow in his tone.

"I see… I can explain better when we get away from the battle. If that servant comes after us, we'll be lucky if the other guy decides to help us again."

She could still hear the battle. They couldn't stay there chatting.

"My place. Let's go there." the redhead suggests.

Gray's eyes narrow. Going inside another a magu's workshop seems too risky…

… however, going back to her based didn't seem like a great idea. Inside his workshop they could have a chance of defending themselves. Going back to her own, would take some time and they could be attacked again on the way.

"... very well. Lead the way."

They soon took off.

_**FATE**_

Atop the building, Rider saw the school. There were traces of battle all over it: the pavement was destroyed, a big hole in the main building, fences torn apart and the overall mess in the courtyard.

"Well, I think the fight is over…" Iskandar says.

Waver looked at the destruction. This reminded him of the fight between Saber and Lancer. He scowls at it. Not that it was something that he did rarely…

"I don't like this." He reaches to his communicator.

"Teacher! I was about to contact you." Gray speaks.

"Gray, where are you? The fight here seems to be over."

"Sorry. The servants discovered my position, so I had to move away. I found a mage bystander, so I'm moving to his base of operations." Waver almost choked.

"A mage… bystander? Gray, are you insane?!" He yells at the radio.

"He doesn't seem like a participant. And not a practitioner, to tell the truth." Waver hears a "Hey!" from the other side.

Sometimes, he has to remind himself that his student is, in fact, King Arthur reborn. Her judgement sometimes could be better than his when dealing with people.

"... understood. I will trust your judgement. The battle here is over. Give me your coordinates when you get there. The servant might give chase."

"Understood." The line goes silent with static again, as Waver sights.

"You know, that girl has a spine on her. I think I like her." Iskandar smiles his way.

"She is too young for you, you fool." Waver comments him.

"Not that in my time there was a difference…" He unshammelly says. "Even so, she is the complete opposite of you in your age. She takes risks and goes to the dangerous places without flinching. A very nice soldier."

Waver looks irritably at him. Sometimes he just wanted to forget how punny he was back then. It seems that with Iskandar now with him, that is not going to be possible. He sighs.

Normally, servants that have been summoned to the system, don't remember about past Holy Grail Wars. With Iskandar, that rule can be easily broken with one condition: that he has made a completely devout soldier in the era that he's been summoned. If the person in question has spent time with him, the memories of that person will remain. It doesn't matter the circumstances, the king will never forget about his subjects. They are forever remembered through their wills inside Ionioi Hetairoi.

"Let's standby somewhere while Gray doesn't contact us. I doubt that she knows exactly where she is right now to give us accurate coordinates to follow." Waver orders

Soon, they were riding in the skies again.

Waver, however, seemed preoccupied.

"Rider. You saw that girl's face. You already know, don't you?"

The King of Conquerors took some time to respond.

"Yeah. I very much do. Give me some insight later, don't you?" He had a serious expression.

"... will do."

Waver hopes that stupid argument doens't happen again.

_**FATE**_

Soon, Gray and the redhead got close to his house. After entering, the girl didn't take long to contact her teacher. Also, she noticed the weak bounded field around the house.

"Maybe they gave up chasing us?" The boy said, sitting down in front of the table, when she came back from contacting Waver.

"I wouldn't count on that. If I were you, I would prepare the territory for a battle. What can you do?" She directs her gazer to him.

The boy seems exasperated.

"A-as I said, I don't know much. I can barely reinforce stuff…" He blushes and rubs the back of his head.

Gray expected as much, but she couldn't help but want to sigh at that. However, that didn't shake her resolve. She could use suggestion to make the boy forget about the events, since he didn't have much knowledge about magecraft. However, she doubts that the servant would stop because of that.

Thinking about it, this war started in a rather strange note. Normally, exposing magecraft would be a crime. The law of the mages is that witnesses should have their memories wiped, or executed. However, she isn't a magus. In regards of moral perception, she had her own.

This boy, even though he is a mage in his small level of aptitude, she wouldn't let him die because of the laws of this secret society. She would even go out of her because of it.

After all, that's who she is.

Sitting down across the table and closing her eyes, she tried to calm her nerves. Coming here wasn't much of a help, in the end. The bounded field wouldn't help. However, if she waited for her teacher, they would have a fighting chance. Rider isn't a powerful servant for nothing…

"... so, what is your name."

She opened her eyes, looking at the boy. They were out of the line of fire, so spending time knowing the person she saved wasn't a bad idea.

"Gray. And yours?" she said stoically.

"Shirou. Emiya Shirou." He says.

Gray's eyes widen. Emiya… her teacher told her about the Magus Killer, Emiya Kiritsugu. The most infamous and ruthless enforcer known in modern society.

"You are… by chance, are you son of Emiya Kiritsugu…?" she asks. She thought about pulling Ad out and prepare for the worse. This could have been a trap all along!

However, to her surprise, the boy's eyes, also widen.

"Y-yeah. How did you know? Was he a famous mage, or something?"

Gray saw that, and relaxed. One thing that she never had gone against, is her intuition. This boy… she can't feel any kind of harm from him. Like he is too pure to even think about using any trap against her.

"He… had a reputation to him…" She didn't have anything to say about that man, other than she couldn't define his actions differently from a beast or a demon. She couldn't even use words to describe what horror she felt at the reports of that man. He went against everything that she believed in.

The boy seemed aware of her hesitation, as his brow seemed raise. Of course, if the boy didn't know of his father's life, imagine saying that he was a ruthless freelancer that killed mages like they were animals.

"That's… cool, I think? What do people talk about him?"

'Damn it.' Gray thought. "Look… let me be clear. You may not like what you'll hear-"

Both of their eyes widen, Shirou feeling someone entering the boundary, as Gray's instincts flare.

She raises her sword overhead, redirecting the Lance to the ground, while she raises her body and backsteps. She soon sees a man landing with his feet atop the spear and crouching.

"Yo." the man in blue garb says with a grin.

She looks at the boy. He was holding a piece of paper, but she could feel the subtle flow of prana in the item. Reinforcement, it seems.

Shifting her gaze to the servant, she gave him a fierce glare.

"Servant. What do you think you're doing?"

The guy seemed unfazed.

"Well, you kinda saw my fight back there. Can't say that I like to kill witnesses, but, since you are potential competition, don't feel bad for me trying to take out competition - or possible ones - is one of my orders, so I have to obey them."

Her scowl deepens. It's what she expected. Seems like the man won't let them go, if his only wish is to kill them.

… but, his demeanor made her wonder.

Softening her features a bit, she downs her blade.

"Then, let me make an offer." Lancer raises a brow. "I challenge you, hero of the spear, to a duel."

This lead to a moment of silence, both of the males in the living room made silence. Until the servant broke into a laugher.

"Heh… hahahahahahahahaha!" It wasn't a mocking one, but a very hearty laugh. "Heh… I like you lass. You have backbone. But, unfortunately, this would be more of a massacre than a duel."

"It is of no consequence. I call you to fight against me in honorable battle. If you have any pride as a warrior, you are bound by honor to accept the challenge." She says. In this age, accepting this kind of offer would be seen as a complete idiocy. But, for a heroic spirit, a person born ages ago, and a warrior… she knew how to talk with them.

The servant scrutinizes her, and when he finally drew the conclusion that she was serious, he chuckled, closing his eyes and jumped to the ground, clutching his spear in his hand, and drew the weapon from the hole it made in the ground.

"You know. That time you deflected my spear. It wasn't half bad." He opens his eyes. "I will play along for now. Try to survive long enough for me not to get bored."

Shirou, seeming to get out of a trance, was about to protest, until they both shot him a look, that made his mind scream in terror. None of them seemed human. It's like both had a terrorizing aura.

Gray was about to say that they should take the fight outside, when Lancer attacks. Fast! Gray's eyes widen and she is thrown after barely parrying a strike from the crimson spear.

She impacts right through the door of the japanese house, and the glass window. If she hadn't reinforced her body, she would have felt that in an even more violent way. Twirling her body, she lands to the grassy ground of the yard.

Her hands shake and ache, and she feels something dripping from the top of her head to the side of her eyes. Even if didn't harm her vision, it still hurt. Looks like her reinforcement wasn't strong enough.

She sees the man going out from the hole her body made through the window, and walking outside. Her guard was still up.

"Impressive. I just wanted to know if you could survive that. Looks like it wasn't an accident that you survived my attack from before. He says, putting his lance over his shoulder. "You know girl, I felt that power out of you. That was too strong for a normal human. So, I'll wager that you are only part human, am I right?"

She stays silent. For someone that knows a thing or two about magic, finding something like that out must be easy.

"... no words then. Well, I am lucky to find someone to fight, even if it isn't a servant. I like what you did to the sword. Makes the challenge better." He smiles ferociously, getting into battle position

Letting the small pain from her rattled arms fade from her mind, she gets into position as well.

And then they were at it. Gray bursts into speed that made Lancer seem surprised from the power displayed by a normal human. He already knew that she had a sword there, hidden for some reason. However, that wasn't enough to faze him. He parries her attack, and counter-attacks with the bare side of his spear. Gray dodges his attack, by bending her head to the side and attacks again with a horizontal slash.

Lancer jumps, dodging the attack easily. He twirls his body on the air, and brings his lance down over her head. She raises her sword for an overhead parry. She blocks it, but has to burst a lot of mana into that. She could feel her feet burying into the ground with the force.

The servant then lands in front of her, and she blocks it another twirl of his lance, however, it was too strong and she skids back two steps, as she clocks a vertical attack.

Seeing an opening, she tries to slash back, but is easily blocked.

It was inevitable how this fight was going to scale. Even if her strength as a fighter was great beyond human level, she was still human. This man, however, is a servant. A being beyond human power. Even so, she didn't give up.

The fight to this moment was equal, Gray augmenting her power greatly with continuous bursts, while Lancer seemed to be having fun.

"Good lass! Keep it up!" He said, pressuring her back to a shed in behind her. In that moment, she had an idea. What if she extracted a bit of power from her Lance?

Guarded by her Mystic Code Ad, Rhongomyniad, a Lance of great power - the manifestation of a pillar of light that anchored the Reverse Side of the Illusion. If she could use only a bit of it, she could change the scales to her side!

When Lancer's spear touches her sword again, she uses that moment to disperse the pressured wind from her sowor. She uses that moment to swing, and Lancer doesn't have enough room to react properly. He backsteps, parrying the higher strength behind the attack, as the wind bruises his skin. The spell was blocked by both his personal resistance, and his magical protection.

With the wind dispersed, in Gray's hands was now a silver longsword, with golden ornamentation. Lancer eyes it, still in fighting pose.

"... well, your previous attack had little effect. I hope that the illusion vanishing isn't permanent. This will make things more to my favour." He seemed disappointed, feeling that being unable to predict correctly the length of the sword, making the fight a little more even.

He didn't see Gray's eyes turning a little more yellow. And then he feels the power coalescing into her sword. The sword soon starts turning into a familiar form. The ghost of a lance shows to her hands. She would need a full minute to unleash great power from her lance, but the collateral damage would be too great, and she doubts that Lancer would just let her. With a bound forward, she strikes his spear. However, she notices that he also put prana into his spear. Gray puts the tip of her lance from the front, while Lancer attacks with a vertical strike from below.

Both polearms hit each other, Lancer struggling to redirect the strike, while Artoria tries to keep it going forward. The energy from both attacks release themselves, and the resulting shockwave hits the glass from the house and shatters it completely, as a cloud of debris is made.

When it goes down, there was now a crater in the ground. Gray's lance had penetrated Lancer's shoulder, and the area around the new hole made by the weapon was scorched. Lancer was now grimacing, holding his spear with his arm that was still with his shoulder pad intact. The spear starts to fade, into a sword. Lancer's arm falls limp, and the girl jumps back, getting into position, as her hood had fallen down, revealing her face and her golden locks of hair. Her strike failed to get to his vitals…

Lance looks to his destroyed shoulder, and then to her sword.

"That thing… it was a Noble Phantasm." He looks at her, still grimacing.

Artoria herself wasn't that much troubled in regards of body damage, however, her head injury had taken its toll. She was now getting dizzy, and the amount of prana from the bursts and the attack with Rhongomyniad made their toll, as her muscles were starting to ache. That attack would have killed most enemies that she fought on a daily base. A servant is not one.

Lancer smiles, and closes his eyes

"Heh… to think that you had something like that. You are an interesting human. I don't know how you pulled that off, considering that you are not even a servant, but…" He opens his eyes and looks fiercely at her. "Looks like my master didn't like that. Now I'll have to kill you."

He moves fast, and she tries to parry. Even with his shoulder obliterated, he holds his spear with both arms as if nothing had happened to him.

Their weapons contact and she feels the power like the one from the start of the battle. Her feet drag back, forming lines in the earth. Her arms ached and her teeth grit. Faster, more powerful. After that attack, he starts to redirect his strikes to every angle. She Tries to parry all of them, but he was now in a different level from before. She is getting pushed back again… and then she falls to a feint. Her sword didn't impact him, and she felt her body losing balance. She saw Lancer about to redirect her strike, as his blade from the spear was directed to her neck. However, she also saw the boy going in front of her, with his reinforced roll of paper.

Lancer's eyes also made sure to show that he was as surprised as her. The spear connects with the paper. The impact throws the boy back. Gray sees that and reinforces her body, jumping back to protect him from impacting her. They both penetrate the door of the shed, and Gray hits the wall. The paper of the boy was now in pieces.

Now, on the ground, Saber shakes her head. The blood loss was making things get blurry. She looks to the person to her arms, and…

Her eyes widen. Blood. That attack was too strong. He had a gash that extended over from his shoulder to his waist. She grits her teeth, frustration welling inside her heart. She started to raise her body, and puts the boy over the ground.

Gray was about to leave him with a regretful face. However, she gets surprised when his torso started mending itself.

"Is he dead?" The Once And Future King, looks to the voice outside. She could see Lancer's shoulder reforming itself.

"..." She got in front of him, her sword getting cloaked by wind again. She doubted Lancer would be fazed, now that he knew the length of her sword.

"Lass, you need to start talking more. Don't get me wrong. You are a hell of a warrior. I respect that. But at least say something. It will end soon." He says, not getting into a stance. He knows that the fight was almost over. He sees the boy shifting behind her. Not that it mattered much…

Gray gets in position.

"... I… I won't die…" She hears the boy behind her, and shifts her gaze to him. She looks skeptically, as he stands up.

"Impossible…" Lancer says, looking with seriety to Shirou.

Saber sees that, and looks determinately to Lancer.

"I won't die either. I… I haven't repaid him yet!" Shirou shifts a little behind her, thinking that she was talking to him.

"... I see. You will defy death to the end. Then I will honor both of you with worthy deaths!" the servant jumps forward. Artoria prepares herself to what in her mind was going to her her last stand…

No one noticed the circle flaring below her, and marks forming in the right hand of the boy.

Gray's body shines, and her perception changes. The world darkens around her.

_**FATE**_

She opens her eyes to the image of a grassy land. She was close to a fortress. One that she knew well…

"Londinium…" She said. Her mind returned to this place sometimes. Her regret made her dream of how she let go of her destiny… looking behind her, she saw would never forget herself when she started her path to kingship…

Imponent, over a ceremonially shaped rocky ground, embedded in stone, a sword that she knew deeply. Not Caliburn. It was…

"Excalibur…" She said, looking at the sword that defined most her rule as a king, and a warrior. The symbol of her kingship.

She didn't understand. What was happening?

Getting close to the sword, she stops when she gets right in front of it. Looking at it, made her think about her kingdom. She extended her hand. When her fingers touch the hilt, she draws her hand back with a gasp. She tries to remember the last time she felt genuine fear. Camlann itself wasn't enough to make her hesitate.

But… she remembers the complete horror of seeing her people die. Because of her, Camlann was bloody and stained with her supporters blood. Even the blood of her child. That was when her mind first thought of it…

'... maybe I shouldn't have been king in the first place…'

She brings her hand back. She looks at the sword, with regret.

Turning her back, she was going to move away, when she remembered. And she remembered it well…

The face of her people. Their smiles shown by Merlin. She knew that if she hadn't taken Caliburn, and accepted her destiny, those smiles would never have come to be. And she would have regretted it even more…

She pondered over it for many years. Even if she has no desire of returning to that nightmare, she knew…

"Maybe… you should give yourself another chance." She looks back again.

Looking at her, there he was. A man holding a black staff and wearing blue robes. Over his head rested a hood, and his handsome features, combined with his long hair, show the man that was her mentor over many years…

"Merlin…" She says, turning to him, her eyes interested by development.

"Artoria…" He says.

Reminiscing this moment was painful. Her mind seemed really wanting to hurt her today…

"... should I really? After all my crimes?" She says, the sorrow seeping from her voice. The man never left his smile, shaking his head to her response.

"In the end… does it matter?" He says, with his explanatory disposition. "This sword symbolizes your desire to stand up to justice. If you were a king, it didn't matter. However, it was also the first step you took. Maybe you should consider taking it again."

She turns to him, still having a gaze that showed indifference.

"Look…" she sighs. "Even if it were possible, what would the mantle of king give me but pain? My life is not my own anymore. I have no need for it."

Merlin looks at her, making a face that made sure to tell her that he understands her pain.

"And that is why this time… I want you to hold it for yourself."

This made Artoria look at him more attentively.

"What do you mean?"

Merlin's smile widens.

"The sword was a tool for you, the king. The people desired a king to save them. This time, you don't need to think of this as your burden for a people that only desire a tool for their salvation from their inevitable demise." Gray's expression darken's with the 'inevitable' part.

"... I am not worthy of this role again, Merlin. Even if not for my Kingdom of Old, I can't be King Arthur again. This power comes with it's burdens. This sword symbolizes the return of the King for her people. This… is a destiny that I wish not to face. I am now Gray. I am a student, forever indebted to Lord El-Melloi. I…"

Merlin raises a hand, and she stops talking. Some habits never change.

"You are still Artoria Pendragon. Even if the crown weighs over your conscience, you never stop living a life true to yourself. One person needs your help right now."

Gray remembers Shirou. That boy… they just met and he already stepped in front of her to defend the blow of a servant. Even so… should she make that decision based on one life…? No… she needed a trump card. They both would die without it.

"Ah, I see that you get it now. You might already be aware, but this is not just a place in your mindscape made to just toy with your mind. This is your soul. Here resides the power exalted through the ages of a king admired by many. Your body is just a container. The power from your spirit, is what shines brightly." Merlin declares, standing up steadily.

Artoria's eyes widen. How… how is it possible? She has the soul of a Heroic Spirit? Is it possible to reincarnate with that kind of power?

"About the possibility, I would rather leave the explanation for another time." He says, wiping his robe. "Focus on one think. Unlocking your power, would give you the edge you need against the foes that you will have to face. Don't hesitate. Even if you have your reservations about the implications of having that which decided your fate in your hands again, it is yours now to do as you wish. Never forget that you are Artoria Pendragon. Even if you can't be a king to the heats of the people, be one to those around you." Merlin says, extending his hand, making a hand to offer the sword. "I am sure that it will be enough."

Gray looks at him with wide eyes.

"... Merlin, are you…?"

He chuckles with her reaction.

"A figment of your mind that I am not. If that was so, I would probably spew a monologue of various reasons on why you were a horrible king… however, I believe that you were the best of them all, so what can I do?" He looks at her with a sly smirk.

The king looked at him with wide eyes again, and then looked down again. Praise… she heard it so many times, but… it felt different this time.

Looking at the hilt of the sword, she stared at it, for some seconds. Shyly, she reaches her hand for it, holding it firmly within her hands when she grasps it.

The blades then is easily dislodged from the stone. Shining brightly.

"... it is done." Merlin says.

Gray puts the sword in front of her, a sad expression to her face. The background starts fading.

"Don't worry, my king. You are still worthy. Never forget that…"

She closes her eyes as the voice of her master sounds in her head, as everything fades from existence…

She still doesn't feel convinced, but… she is already full with regrets.

_**FATE**_

After the light that surged from below her feet had dimmed, they saw the transformation. A metamorphosis had occurred in front of their eyes, making both of theirs wide in shock. Lancer had to defend a powerful attack, many times stronger than the one that he felt the girl was capable of.

"The seventh servant?!" He said, sailing back outside from the blow inflicted to his lance.

Shirou, now standing, felt pain behind his hand, that he easily ignored by clutching his chest. He had received a considerably big cut, but for some reason, it didn't hurt as much as seconds ago. As if… closing. He decided to put that thought for a later time, in favor of the girl in front of him. She seemed considerably different now. The aura that he felt before seemed magnitudes larger now. Her outer appearance also changed. Wearing a blue dress, with silvery plate protecting her, her hair is blonde, instead of white. She looks…

Invincible. Beautiful… in a sense.

He sees the girl looking at her hand. She was holding now a golden sword. A powerful one, he noted just by looking. The amount of prana he feels from the girl is… tremendous. Even stupid, he would say.

"Hey…" He started, seeing the girl moving her gaze at his chest. "She seemed curious. Probably from his chest having been open in half and now was closing at a rapid pace.

She didn't linger long. Looking at him, she closed her eyes, prana surging in a circle around her feet. Her sword glittened briefly, and the small brieze washed down. She gathered power to her form, it seems. And… that was so natural to her. As if just breathing just gave her what she needed to gather strength. He noted the amount of prana that she gathered before to fight the other man, and that wasn't enough to faze the servant. Now… she looked like one of them. Maybe now they could defend against him.

"We will need to talk later. Things… have gone to a very strange level." She says. "Be careful this time. I will finish the enemy this time."

She turns outside, even more determinant than before.

"Wait!" she looks at him, a brow raised. "Look… you don't need to fight him… I mean, I am probably out of my league here, but… erm, I mean... um… maybe there's another way? Maybe I can fight…?" He said mumbling that last part.

And she couldn't help looking at him like he was stupid.

"... try to keep yourself safe. He won't wait for me to go forever. Stay put."

And she charges off. He raised his arm at her direction.

He couldn't help getting a bad feeling out of that… and in his heart he knew why.

He couldn't help but feeling like shit when someone fought for him…

_**FATE**_

Artoria got out of the shed with a bad feeling. Not because of the new powers she got.

The theory behind it was not lost to her. She turned into a "demi-servant". A being capable of summoning the powers of a Heroic Spirit, using the individual's body as a class container to the powerful being. Inside the Grail system, that is probably easy to accomplish, as it awakened her power, and assimilating it to the Class System. She would probably have a hard time doing so outside it.

The feeling came from what the boy said. He didn't want her to fight… from the beginning, in that moment where they met each other, she could see something in his eyes that made him want to involve himself in the war. The comment he made about "someone being hurt", made her think that he was probably coating his curiosity with an excuse of worrying about others.

This time, she saw… this is different.

Putting that line of thought at the back of her head, she saw the man waiting for her outside. His shoulder pad was already back to its place. The wound probably didn't close completely, but his outer appearance was back to normal. He probably has a skill that lets him fight beyond normal injury.

"Hey, you're back. You could have told me that you were a servant. I mean, you didn't give the vibe back then. Were you holding back?" He was holding his spear lazily atop his shoulders.

"This… was an unexpected development. But a fortunate one in a way." She says, raising her sword to her side.

"So you didn't know you could do that. Now that's something. A servant that didn't know of her powers? Or maybe someone that got them Looks like things got better for me in the end. By the way, you are King Arthur, right? That sword kind of gives it you got that power here, good that it is someone that has a history with battle" He says, getting into position, a bare grin to his face in ecstasy for battle.

"..." Differing from him, she prepared herself stoically. This feeling was… strange. This new power seems to be overwhelming. She could feel her energy flowing inside her veins. Being consumed by her servant form. Even so, her energy is overflowing. Like all of her magic cores are coming to light and producing a well of immense energy. Which means… she can fight over hours without exhausting, now that she has the body of a servant.

That is really good to know.

They both charge at each other, clashing both their weapons. In that instant, the new Saber-class servant overpowers her opponent. Lancer's eyes widen at the amount of strength from her burst. The power of a servant is already greater than one of a human. With her Prana Burst combined to it, she can easily make her attacks weight tons…

Redirecting her strike to a horizontal one, she sends Lancer flying some meters into the courtyard, gracefully landing on his feet. Even she was amazed with her power right now. Excalibur's power undeterred and the spiritual strength of a hero were overwhelming.

She jumps forward, spreading earth in her charged jump, an overhead slash forcing Lancer to raise his spear, the overwhelming power from Saber having to make him redirect the blow with a parry. He uses the momentum to throw some of his own attacks, trying to pierce her abdomen and then her head. She defends the first one and dodges the latter. Without hesitation, she spins and lashes her sword with an upward attack, that Lancer dodges by backstepping. And then she charges again.

In that moment, Shirou is already out of the shed, looking at the exchange with wide eyes. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. He didn't believe it as possible, the power that both fought and the speed they reached. They were making a mess of his yard, but he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Couldn't even follow their movements. So this… is what a fight between servants looks like. Lancer had been toying with them this whole time. And the girl… even with him fighting seriously, she could still match him. No…

She was pressuring him.

A blast of light mad Lancer jump. The girl had released power from her blade and scorched the ground where he was standing. Landing gracefully again. He glares at her.

"Damn… that sword is even mightier than my spear."

Shirou looked at their weapons. Lancer had an imposing red spear. He could feel something from it. Something that made him… uncomfortable. He couldn't really place it.

However, the girl is holding with both hands a sword and felt his heart getting warmer. The blade was projecting a golden light, and had a cross embedded almost at the edge to it's crossed guard, which was curved to the direction inverse to the azure hilt. Even he could feel the power emanating from it. Excalibur, The Sword of Promised Victory. Anyone that studied even a bit of magecraft lore, would instantly recognize it.

"Yes. This sword has a large power. But it also comes with a great burden…" She wasn't kidding. During her life, her power was almost limitless because of the amount of prana that she could produce by herself. As servant, her capacity is really high. She doesn't doubt that she could store energy equal to more than one servant. However, without a good master, she would never be able to use her full power. Now that her production depended on her Magic Core, just by breathing, she can create more prana than a top mage from this era. With this, she can fight without the necessity of hiding Excalibur's powers with Invisible Air, that she would probably have to use continuously, if she lacked a proper master. Not that she had the spell in the first place.

That also meant that she would probably be targeted by the likes of Dragon/King Slayers if they ever saw her sword. However, that risk could easily be reasoned with the amount of power that she can now display. Even without releasing the True Power of Excalibur, she could still use minor blasts in battle without hampering her mana capacities. Using her ultimate attack continuously without a good interval would be harmful to her… and to the people around her.

Even so, she wasn't unscathed. Her opponent had also means of enhancing himself. He was now faster and stronger. She could see that he had cast runes. More powerful. This is a strong servant. Durable, fast, and also knowledgeable of magecraft. A worthy opponent.

Even so, she could win, given time.

Lancer's mood seemed to take a bad turn. His scowl deepened, and he stood with his back straightened. Clutching his spear with both hands.

"Sorry to cut this short, but my master wants your head now. Try not to struggle too much. It's pointless." His spear then started to glow crimson blood. The amount of power being compressed into his weapon was suffocating. A curse. He was going to use his ultimate move.

Saber tightened the grip on her sword. Would she be able to defend that? Only one way to know.

Moving faster than the naked eye could perceive, Lancer charged at her like a bolt of lightning. In an instant, he is in front of her. Her instincts flare, and she moves back, her sword ready to defend a strike. Her eyes widen, and she understands that she probably would not get off the hook unscathed…

Lancer directs the attack to her feet, but she could see the spear bending unnaturally. Not the weapon itself, but the trajectory. She tries to defend with her blade, using all of her might to dodge, while at the same time, parrying with her balde.

"**Gaé Bolg!" **The crim spear lashes and tries to pierce her in the heart.

The thing with the spear is that it changes trajectory to reach one's heart. The curse lodged within the weapon making it bend space to make an assured kill. A power that manipulates fate, so that the opponent may not run away from it.

However, she can do it. Never doubting her Instincts, she already knew the result. Luck was to her side. Always had been. Her life was always about defying her fate. And right now, she didn't only defy it, but fight back!

The spear embed itself into her shoulder, as Lancer violently pulls it back and jumping when he saw that she made a horizontal arc with her blade after surviving the attack. She falls to her feet, but clutches her shoulder, as blood spreads from there. Saber pants heavily.

"You dodged from that… who the heck are you?" Lancer says, genuinely intrigued by the girl. First a servant, and now this. An archer that used two swords was fine, but now this?

"Gaé Bolg… you are Cú Chulainn, the Child of Light." Artoria's breath was starting to normalize. Her shoulder was still in pain, but she was still in shape for a brawl.

"Yeah, that's me. It's not very difficult to get that after I say the name of my spear. At least I can appreciate my name being remembered. Even so..."

He puts the spear over his shoulder and turns away from her.

"Where are you going?" She glares at him, leaving the hand from her shoulder, and clutching her sword.

"Master said to go back. You can follow if you want but." He looks back, glaring fiercely to her. "But I promise that if you do, you won't end up with just your shoulder pierced."

He jumps to a power pole, and disappears after a second bound, leaving both of them behind. Artoria scowls the way he went, but leaves it be. When she finally feels that he is far, she falls to her butt, and puts a hand to her shoulder.

Her azure dress disappears, and her clothes return to those of Gray. Her vision turns hazy and soon, she feels her body involuntarily falling to the ground with a tud. With that, her eyes close and her mind shuts down… her ears picked up the sound of the boy shouting and running her way, before she slumbers.

Name: Artoria Pendragon (Gray)

Master: Shirou Emiya

Class: Saber

Parameters

STR A

END B

AGL B

MAG A

LCK A+

NP A++

Class Skill:

Demi-Servant EX

A skill that represents her status as a human that has the power of a servant. While she has need of food, sleep, and cannot turn into spirit, she can use her own powers as long as reserves can manifest her strength. She won't disappear, nor lose her powers from prana exhaustion. The rank represents the person's mana capacity and production. Artoria, being a modified human with a Magic Core from her Dragon Element, can produce more prana than a dozen first rate mages.

Riding B

A skills that represents one's mastery over vehicles, be they living or not. As she was a knight during her life, she has experience with both traveling at high speeds, as skirmishing with a steed. Exceptioning Divine Beasts, she can ride any vehicle, even those that aren't from her time.

Magic Resistance A

A special skill that allows one to resist and nullify thaumaturgy. As she is a servant from the Saber Class, her resistance is risen even further from her natural resistance, given to her by her Dragon Element.

Personal Skills:

Charisma B

Artoria was the king of a country. Her natural charisma represents her desire to protect a kingdom that was headed for destruction, making soldiers and knights around her, fight alongside her for the dream of one day establish a utopia for the people that lived in Britania. However, her kingdom never left the bounds of her country, so the rank is enough to rule a country naturally. The skill raises troop and ally capabilities during mass combat.

Prana Burst A

Having a circuit from a dragon since she was a child, her powers circle around her ability to expel high amounts of prana from her body and enhance her fighting capabilities with body reinforcement.

Instinct A

A natural sixth sense, refined by a life of constant battle. This allows for danger detection, and perception of the best course of victory during battle. A form of premonition and divine intervention, this skill allows her to both detect the best forms of defense and offense while in combat.

Noble Phantasms:

Excalibur, Sword of Promised Victory A++ (Anti-Fortress)

Radiant Road EX

King Arthur has the Divine Authority given by the Sword of Selection and the fairies. Vivian gave her the ability to walk on water surfaces and the sword gave her the authority of the king, giving her a second wind to her mana reserves, and boosting her mana parameter in some cases as form of divine intervention.

The Sword of the Planet, it's power shining bright with the unreachable dream of Glory that humanity longs for. The amount of power that the sword liberates, creates a slash that culminates into destructive power to obliterate large targets, as well as a whole armies and even a fortress. As the most powerful of Holy Swords, enemies will identify her True Name by merely seeing the weapon.

**A/N: So, the prologue wasn't meant to last more than an hour of publication. I only published it at all, so people could understand the concept of the story in the first place.**

**It's very simple: Waver joins the fight with Iskandar, Saber reincarnated and fights the war with her powers reaching her natural potential as a dragon incarnate. She won't suffer major prana losses fighting normally and she won't be cripled by unleashing Excalibur.**

**There are other subplots, since this fic will deal with some of the darker sides of the original story. It will have elements from all routes, but will not try to follow the plot from any of them. Expect good development from Saber and Shirou, with Waver as their mentor, as well as the clash of ideals that we love so much in the franchise.**

**Meanwhile, I will try to piece this together. I have most of it planned out, but remember that plans never survive first contact. I will probably have to reformulate some details. Well, that is the fun of it…**


End file.
